Editing Fundamentals III: Aged

Editing is about
perspective, I think. It is hard to have the clear view you need for
editing when you have just finished writing something.

When I have just completed a writing project, it seems like the greatest thing I have ever
written. But this really is not so. It was usually written quickly in
a fever of inspiration, and is probably riddled with typos. So I
use an editing technique another writer told me about. I close my word
processor and ignore the piece for the rest of the day. For a few
days, in fact.

And when I come back to
it, my perspective is better. Rather than still being unreasonably
fond of my new piece, I am ready to tear it apart, delete, rearrange,
basically all the things I've been talking about in my other editing
posts.

This process of letting
a writing project age has been one of the most helpful things I've
learned about editing. Of course, it may not be feasible to let everything
sit around a while before editing, sometimes you don't have time.
And, everyone has different ways of editing, but this one has
always served me well.

Comments

That is excellent advice, and something I HAVE experienced, but didn't really realize it!? But that is so very true. It's not in the heat of the moment when it's fresh off the press that I really see anything to tweak. It's usually when I've been away from the piece for awhile that I start getting a healthy critique on. Loved this!